I came across this interesting looking fruit at the food co-op a few times before, and every time I picked it up and found myself puzzled from its appearance and the simple fact that it came with an instructions page.
Last week I finally decided it was time to give it a try, so I took one home and placed it in a cup, bottom up, allowing it to do its thing.

The monstera deliciosa is native to Mexico and Guatemala, and supposedly tastes like a combination of banana and pineapple. The fruit must ripen and peel itself, as it contain oxalic acid, so you place it in a cup or jar and just wait. A day or two went by and then one morning it happened, the scale looking skin cracked open, exposing a white flash and releasing an addicting tropical scent.

This is the first time I have seen anything like this fruit, and I was fascinated by it. In the course of one day this little tropical monster peeled itself completely, exposing its white moist flesh and shedding, along with its green scales, hundreds of tiny black seeds.

When it was finally done, that evening, it was time to slice it up and see what this fruit is all about. We were all very curious as to how it is going to taste, the internet was telling up it taste a little like banana, pineapple, kiwi, jack fruit and mango… an interesting mix of flavors…

Once slices, it looked a lot like a cross between a corn and a kiwi with a very strong tropical odor.
It was delicious, just as the name suggested, very sweet and very tropical, indeed a mix between a few more familiar flavors with a soft flesh. However after eating a few pieces from it, the mouth starts to tingle and you get that funny feeling that tells you not to over indulge. As the name suggested, once again, this is a monster we are talking about after all.